I started building this in minifig scale but couldn't decide on the aesthetic once I'd finished the bridge section at the front of the ship. Rather than spend months trying out different ideas in the larger scale, I decided to build this 1:4 (approximately) microscale version as a proof of concept.

I must say I enjoyed it a fair bit more than building the minifig scale version, which I've since dismantled with plans to rebuld it from scratch in the coming year. I'm estimating that it will end up around 90 studs in length.

There is a hangar in the rear for deploying research vehicles:

Close-up of the bridge section:

The operations section, which contains the lab, hangar, and the crew quarters (unless I can fit them into the spine of the ship when I build it in the larger scale!). Also visible is the main weapons cluster - being a research vessel it is only modestly armed.

View from the top - the 'Cerberus' name was inspired by the three heads formed by the bridge and the two forward engine clusters.